Japan Investigates Seriously Aggravating the Relations with North Korea

Japanese press including Asahi shimbun reported on the 12th that Japanese Police Agency opened investigation task force, and started serious investigation as it concluded that Arimoto Keiko (woman, 23 years old then) of Kobe, who disappeared during studying in London, England in 1983, was taken to North Korea.

Public Security Division of Police Agency announced that the former wife (46) of the criminal of Red Army Faction, who participated in hijacking Japanese jet Yodoho in 1970, confessed that she `abducted Arimoto from Copenhagen, Denmark and handed her over to an agent of North Korea. `

It is for the first time that a participant of Yodoho case confessed having participated in North Korea’s kidnapping Japanese. Hence, North Korea-Japan relation is likely to getting even worse since an unidentified boat, which was considered to be spy ship of North Korea, sank at the end of last year. Red Army members, who participated in the Yodoho case, exiled to North Korea immediately after the case, but some of those families recently returned to Japan, and National Police Agency (NPA) has been investigating them.

NPA announced that those who kidnapped by North Korea are increased to 11 persons from 8 persons.

Arimoto was attending on language course in England in 1982, and disappeared after sending a letter in October 1983, saying that `she would delay coming back as she got a job`. Later, two Japanese men, who disappeared during the journey to Spain in September 1988, sent a letter to the family of Arimoto saying that `they are staying at Pyongyang with Arimoto`. Hence, people thought long ago that she might be kidnapped.

Young-Ee Lee yes202@donga.com